The singer died of oral cancer at the age of 36! Cancer caused by chewing is disfiguring and fatal

Recently, the news that #36-year-old singer Fu Song died of oral cancer# has become a hot topic. It is understood that Fu Song, who is from Hunan, loved chewing betel nuts, and his oral cancer was caused by betel nuts. In June this year, Fu Song revealed that his oral cancer recurred three times and showed his wounds to netizens. His entire left face was ulcerated.

Most oral cancers are related to betel nut. Many people have a habit of chewing betel nut, and call it "plant chewing gum, refreshing and sobering". Betel nut is the fourth most common psychoactive substance in the world after tobacco, alcohol and caffeine. Chewing betel nut can make people excited and feel happy, and the more they chew, the more addicted they become.

What exactly is betel nut? Why does it make people crave it like a "drug"? While enjoying the pleasure brought by betel nut, how does it gradually lead to oral cancer? Let's talk about betel nut.

01 What is betel nut?

▲Image: pixabay

Betel nut is native to Malaysia. It is the transliteration of the Malay word Pinang and is the seed of the tropical plant Areca nut tree. The appearance of the betel nut fruit is very similar to an olive, which is oval in shape, but it turns orange-red when ripe. It is a kind of traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The Compendium of Materia Medica records that betel nut has the effects of "reducing edema, opening joints, strengthening the spleen and regulating the middle, and treating heart pain accumulation", and is often used to expel insects.

Betel nut is mainly grown in southern my country, such as Hainan, Yunnan, Fujian, Taiwan and other regions. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics: In 2018, the planting area of ​​betel nut in my country reached 140,000 hectares, the output has reached about 1.6 million tons, and the market size of the betel nut industry is estimated to have reached 15.5 billion yuan.

It can be seen that betel nut is very popular in some parts of my country. The edible betel nut sold on the market is mostly produced in Hunan or Hainan. They are processed to make them easy to chew. During the processing, brine made of lime milk, maltose, sweeteners and spices is added to make the taste and flavor diverse, which meets the taste needs of different people.

02 Why is it addictive?

Many people do not think betel nut is delicious or feel pleasant when they eat it for the first time. They may even experience discomfort symptoms such as dizziness, chest tightness, and tightness in the throat.

But with the trend of curiosity or the pursuit of exciting experience, after trying again and again, people will gradually become addicted. Betel nut can act on the human central nervous system, making people feel comfortable, excited and happy, and can relieve mental tension, refresh the mind, and improve the body's ability to resist hunger and endurance. This allows people who chew betel nuts to get satisfaction and excitement again and again. In order to constantly pursue this feeling, they will put betel nuts into their mouths one by one.

The most critical factor that makes chewing betel nut addictive is the alkaloid components contained in betel nut, among which arecoline and arecoline are the most abundant.

Arecoline can make people feel ruddy, hot, and slightly sweaty; arecoline can make people feel happy and has a similar antidepressant effect. If quicklime is added when processing betel nuts, it will further promote the formation of arecoline from arecoline.

When people who eat betel nuts chew betel nuts, the continuous chewing process will promote the rapid absorption of alkaloids by the buccal mucosa. Generally, various physical and psychological changes will appear within 5 minutes, and the symptoms can last for 2 to 3 hours.

For those who are addicted to betel nut, if they stop eating betel nut, they will experience withdrawal symptoms, crave betel nut, and show discomfort reactions such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, and inattention .

In addition, people who both smoke and chew betel nuts have a higher addiction index, which is 8 times that of people who only chew betel nuts.

03 One of the “real culprits” of oral cancer

You can't simply "eat betel nut if you like it". After all, eating betel nut frequently is really harmful to your health. As early as 2003, betel nut was identified as a Class 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer. This shows that there is sufficient evidence to prove that betel nut is carcinogenic to humans, including betel nut, betel nut chewing pieces containing tobacco, and betel nut chewing pieces without tobacco.

Meta-analysis also shows that chewing betel nut is associated with oral cancer, and the risk of oral cancer increases with the number of years and amount of betel nut chewing. Oral cancer is the sixth most common tumor in the world, with a 5-year survival rate of about 64%, and the prognosis of patients in the advanced stage is even worse.

People who often eat betel nuts will develop oral submucous fibrosis, the mucosa in the mouth loses elasticity, it is very difficult for them to open their mouths, it is difficult for them to put larger foods into their mouths, and they will be very sensitive to cold, hot, sour, spicy and other foods.

Oral submucous fibrosis is not the most serious stage. It will be very painful if it develops into oral cancer in the later stage. Arecoline in betel nut can stimulate inflammation and cause inflammatory response in the human body. The chemical substances contained in betel nut will form carcinogenic nitrosamines after chewing, which has carcinogenic effect on the human body. Betel nut is relatively hard, and it will rub the oral mucosa when chewing, causing ulcers. Repeated wear of the oral mucosa will increase the risk of cancer.

Many oral cancer patients will eventually become disfigured and become "face-cutting people". In severe cases, half of their face will be cut off, making it difficult for them to even eat, talk, or smile.

▲Poster promoting the use of betel nut in Taiwan

In addition, some people like to chew betel nut and tobacco together. Studies have shown that betel nut chewing with tobacco can not only cause oral cancer, but also cause cancer of the pharynx and esophagus.

04 What other dangers are there?

In addition to causing oral cancer, frequent chewing of betel nuts can also cause teeth to turn yellow or even black, and may even increase the risk of esophageal cancer, liver cancer, gene mutations, reproductive toxicity, obesity, cardiovascular disease, etc.

It also has a certain impact on people's mental health. Studies have shown that chewing betel nuts is closely related to impulsivity and self-control. People who chew betel nuts frequently are prone to negativity, impatience, inconsistency between words and deeds, thought and behavior disorders, distraction, impulsivity, difficulty controlling self-behavior, and impaired executive function.

Because betel nut is so harmful, many betel nut packages, like cigarette packages, have health warnings such as "Warning: Excessive chewing of betel nut is harmful to oral health" or "Long-term excessive chewing is harmful to oral health."

▲Picture: E-commerce platform

Summarize:

Betel nut is unhealthy and is considered a "soft drug". It is considered a drug in Turkey and is prohibited from being brought into the country. Although betel nut and compound preparations containing betel nut are traditional Chinese medicines, they are different from the act of chewing betel nut for a long time and should not be confused with each other.

Refuse to chew betel nut and stay away from oral cancer!

References:

[1] Yin Mingsong, Pan Feibing, Guo Jianxing, Ji Xiaolong, Liu Yanqi. Research progress on chemical composition and biological activity of betel nut[J]. Food Research and Development, 2021, 42(15): 219-224.

[2] Lü Junchen, Gong Bao, Sun Peiwen. Overview of research on the medicinal and edible safety of betel nut[J]. Chinese Herbal Medicine, 2017, 48(02): 384-390.

[3] Zhang Wei, Lan Yan, Deng Bing, Yan Wansen. Addictiveness of chewing betel nut: research status and possible mechanisms[J]. Chinese Journal of Drug Dependence, 2016, 25(06): 505-507+

512.DOI:10.13936/j.cnki.cjdd1992.2016.06.004.

[4] Hu Yina, Li Hongyan, Zou Yanhui. Meta-analysis of betel nut chewing and oral cancer risk[J]. Journal of Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2019, 39(10): 1227-1232.

[5] Chen Honghua, Zhang Wei, Yan Wansen. Betel nut chewing behavior among college students and its relationship with impulsivity and self-control[J]. Chinese Journal of Drug Dependence, 2022, 31(01)

:51-56.DOI:10.13936/j.cnki.cjdd1992.2022.01.009.

Author | Xue Qingxin, member of Chinese Nutrition Society, registered nutrition technician, health manager, public nutritionist

Review | Han Hongwei, Researcher, National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center

This article was first published on Science Refutes Rumors